One of the reasons CA World has been such a rewarding conference for me is that I've been able to meet fellow CA colleagues that I've worked with closely--but have never met in person. One such co-worker asked if she could write a guest blog for me-on the condition that I post it without editing. So, here is my first guest blogger, unedited as promised:
To Steve:
Thanks for this opportunity, which I hope will go a long way toward curing my mild case of blog envy.
To Readers:
Like you, I look forward to reading each of Steve's new blog postings. He and I are part of the Governance Group within CA so the subjects he writes about are of interest to me. Governance, project and portfolio management and process management are topics I deal with every day and, as you know, Steve's enthusiasm for these topics oozes from each blog. After all, according to his tagline, Steve, the IT Governance Evangelist, is all about "passionate advocacy for improving IT Governance processes."
Or is he?
CA World was my opportunity to meet Steve and attend one of his sessions to find out once and for all--is Steve for real? Can he really be as zealous as his blogging portrays?
Was he really "floored" when he found out that the IT Enterprise Architecture Advisory Committee was comprised of business (versus IT) executives? Did he really have a feeling of "comfort and assurance" as he worked with the process map at a midwest CA Clarity PPM customer site? Is he really "immeasurably passionate about good process management?"
I am here to tell you--YES!
During the session I attended, he spoke with real conviction and enthusiasm. Watching him in person, it was clear to me that his words were heartfelt. It was also clear that the moniker "Evangelist," which was CA's doing, not his, is quite fitting. I couldn't help but wonder, "Where does this emotion come from?" "How does he muster such strong feelings for good governance?"
Those questions were answered at the end of his presentation when he stressed, "My purpose in life is to enable people to succeed."
Now I was the one who was floored! His passion is not solely for the discipline of governance, but for what good governance and process management do FOR PEOPLE.
This, I could relate to. With that one sentence, I came to understand what motivates Steve to write so urgently, and travel so extensively, to educate others about good governance and process management: THEY HELP PEOPLE SUCCEED!
So readers, you can take my word for Steve's sincerity, or, if you're lucky, I hope you'll have the opportunity to hear him speak in-person and experience it for yourself.
BTW, I had the idea to write this blog as I waited to speak to Steve at the end of his talk. I asked a CA World attendee waiting with me what she thought of the session. She answered that she had seen him present for the first time a few months earlier at another conference and has been stalking him ever since.
‘nuff said.
Sincerely,
Lynne Mahoney
Governance Group, CA